I always wear a helmet now. OK , there was the time we went to Myrtle Beach, 8 years or so ago, and rode the strip at 10 mph for about 1 mile... helmetless. I still feel the shame.
I don't know how they can ride w/ no windscreen/ fairing, helmet, and still see, especially once they get above 45 mph.
However, I don't care if there is a law to make helmets mandatory or not, and I try not to tell others that they must wear a helmet. If the riders of this forum are the "typical" BMW riders, most have been riding a very long time. If that's the case, remember when we started- there was no "safety gear" (or if there was, I was too young and poor to care), and I don't remember if there was a helmet law. I didn't care if there was and I rode with my long, pony-tailed hair getting tangled up in the wind (that was stupid... yanking hair out of my head every night trying to comb out tangles) as I wound out my Yami 100 on hiways, dirtways, or anyways I could get it. My safety gear consisted of blue jeans, whatever shoes I owned (didn't pay attention), and a t-shirt or button-up whatdya call it (cowboy-type, striped horizontally and vertically) shirt. I don't think I knew what gloves were, I lived in El Paso (don't believe they sell gloves there). All I cared about was scoring some pocket change to fill the gas tank up. I don't remember people lecturing me on the perils of riding without gear, and would have laughed at them (and maybe mugged them if my friends were with me... just kidding, sort of) pretty long and hard.
Nowadays, I do cringe a little when I see folks out without gear (thinkiing about how that flesh could react when it is introduced to a harder surface), esp. women for some reason... maybe it's my old age and the fact I now realize I'm not immortal.
Anywho, people have to make choices.